Missing
by archeress of silverbow
Summary: When the Locksley childeren go missing the world is turned upside down for the modern day Gang
1. Missing

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Set in modern day. The lives of the whole gang are set upside down when Robin and Marian's children go missing

**I don't own these exept the children and new OC's (wish I did)**

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The phone rang. Abandoning her needlework, Marian calmly got up and went over to answer it.

"Hello?"

"Hello Mrs Locksley." It was the children's school secretary "I am just calling to inform you that your children didn't turn up at school today. Did you forget to call us?"

"No. Actually they were staying with my father this weekend. Thank you for calling, I will check with him"  
"Goodbye Mrs Locksley"

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Marian immediately rang her father, Edward Knighton, but knowing it wasn't like him to forget about phoning school

"Hello" Edward sounded normal, no worry for one of the children

"Father..." Marian quickly relayed what the school had told her, ignoring the sense of dread that crept up.

"No, they were all well. In fact I saw them off to school just before nine this morning..." silence hit his ears "Marian? Listen to me; call Robin, I'll come right away"

As her father cut off Marian clung to the table, frozen in shock

_Your children didn't turn up at school today... I saw them off to school... Your children didn't turn up at school today... I saw them off to school_

Call Robin. That's what he'd said.

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Robin Locksley, permanent member of the Nottingham County Archery Team, thudded arrow after arrow into the bulls-eye just as his phone rang, piping "home...home...home"

"Marian, what do I owe this surprise?"

"come home.... Robin please come home now" it was a choked whisper

"Why, sweet, what's wrong?"

"come home... please" the line went dead

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When he reached their house, something seemed immediately wrong. There was no thundering of feet as his key clicked in the latch, no cheery "Papa, guess what happened today". Instead he walked into the lounge to find Marian collapsed on the floor crying

"Marian, what's wrong"

"The children didn't go to school but Father said he saw them off this morning" the words came in rapid gasps as she tried to control herself

"You're telling me that Grace, Mary, and Freddie are missing?" She simply wailed, unable to confront the last word. Robin swallowed, pulling her into a tighter hug.

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They weren't the only family to have the evening turned upside down due to those three. As the Gisborne's were eating their dinner Jake piped up "The Locksley trio weren't at school today"

"hmm" His mother half glanced sideways and continued to eat.

"They didn't turn up at all, I went to the secretary but she said they hadn't been called in as sick."

Guy gave his 10 year old son full attention "None of them turned up?"

"Not one father. Pardon me for being presumptuous but Mary always said her family would call in as soon as school started"

"It isn't like them, I agree with you there" he paused, thinking, then got up "keep this for me Lil. I'm going to find out what's happened" grabbing the coat he ran out into the darkening evening.

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When he reached The Manor, Guy was relieved to see that both Robin and Edward were inside. At least Marian wasn't on her own.

A loud rata-tat-tat from the knocker made Edward jump, accidentally standing on Marian's foot as he comforted her

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"I'll get it" he slipped quickly out into the hall before his daughter and opened the door "Guy, what...?

"Jake told me the children weren't at school today or called in sick"

"No, they're missing, Marian's in absolute hysterics of worry"

"Can I help?? Do anything?

"Yes actually... can you contact your friends in the Guard and tell them what has happened? Robin's already roused the gang and I phoned the police, who will arrive soon, get anyone you can to be here ASAP"

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**Reviews more than welcome. Next part coming very soon**


	2. Mustering

**Thanks to** Lizhi Anne** for her review. You won't find out what's happened yet, that would spoil it.**

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"Well, Guy what has happened?" Lily turned at the bottom stair as her husband bounded in.

"The children are gone, we need to gather everyone we can at The Manor"

He sensed eyes above him, begging "Jake put your thickest coat on"

"It's past his bedtime Guy" Lily's voice was stern

"I don't care, without him I wouldn't even know they were missing"

When the Gisborne's entered Robin's home they found the entrance hall bursting with people. All the Gang and their relatives were there, the Guard that Guy himself had roused and some older friends of Edward's.

"Hullo Gisborne!!!" at the shout of his surname Guy looked round and saw Carter, a one time friend, on the other side of the room.

Edward and a policeman stepped out onto the landing above the crowd. Instantly silence fell

"Thank you for coming everybody" Edward's voice was clear and commanding "As you know my three grandchildren have gone missing and we will need everyone's help to find them"

The policeman took over "Now we can't do much until first light, I have set the department to making posters. Come back here tomorrow to collect them and put them up everywhere you can get permission..." he trailed off

"And all the time just please keep your eyes open, that goes for other children too"

Jake mimed an army salute, jerking his hand down sharply before anyone noticed. It was common knowledge that Edward had been in reserve during the war, though never called up.

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**Sorry for the short length. Writers block is plaguing both this and my Merlin story _Camelot: a new chance._ I hope it goes away**


	3. Searching

**Sorry Everyone, I got caught by other work and havn't updated. But finally the next part arrives, enjoy**

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By lunchtime the next day posters were up all over the town.

_**MISSING:**_

_Three children aged 12, 10 and 7_

_[Then pictures of Grace, Mary and Freddie]_

_The two girls have dark brown hair while the boy's is slightly lighter coloured. All wearing _

_Any information please contact police or... [Locksley's phone number]_

Search parties led by Guy, Edward and Will Scarlett scoured both the streets and far out into the countryside around Nottingham while police kept up the efforts during dark hours and rallied patrols outside the county in case the children had gone beyond the border. Day after day this carried on: even the school got involved, abandoning lessons and leading their pupils out to help. The excuse: "Well, what are we supposed to do, they won't concentrate in lessons and teachers are too worried to conduct lessons properly". Nobody bothered to argue.

Unfortunately all this action created problems. The media got wind of the tragedy and began pouncing on anyone who could give them information. Edward came in for most of it as he was a relative

"Mr Knighton...Mr Knighton, what can you tell us about your grandchildren's disappearance? Mr Knighton... are you worried for their safety?" On and on they went, asking stupid questions and distracting the searches.

Surely things couldn't get worse?

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**Bit short but the next will be longer**


	4. Beseiged

**Two parts in one day: my apology to everyone who's sticking with my eratic posting**

**Recap; last time posters had just gone up and the press were disrupting searches**

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Oh yes they could.

One plucky reporter tailed Edward all the way back to The Manor and set up camp on the drive, pestering anyone who emerged with questions about the currant situation. Others quickly followed to try and make a scoop of the latest news.

"Whew" Guy walked into the sitting room, theatrically wiping his brow "You do realise this house is under a press siege; it's taken me three minutes to get from the gate to your front door"

Marian smiled slightly "Whenever we try to go anywhere the Gang have to be on hand to act as a bodyguard ring" she sighed "particularly me, all everyone wants to know is 'how I'm coping?' The answer, Badly"

"Why have you come Guy?" Edward finally lifted his head from the paper he'd been trying to read.

"...To congratulate you on how well you did on the program last night Marian, none of us could believe how steady you seemed"

She raised her head and met his gaze for a few seconds "Thanks"

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_A month since that morning the children had vanished, the police had asked her to go on the news to talk about it. The whole gang had come with her, as guards and moral support._

"_For heavens sake if she doesn't want makeup then leave her be, let them see her as she is" Djaq had intervened numerous times to protect Marian from the 'Look' advances that TV seemed to be full of._

_Finally it had been on air, a few preliminaries from the presenter and then she turned to Marian._

"_It must be terrible: waiting and not knowing" the woman said with a sickly sweet voice "Do you have any message to give out?"_

"_Only this..." Glancing up she saw Robin and Edward behind the camera, willing her on "Nobody who hasn't been through this can imagine what it's like... If someone out there has taken my children then please, __**please**__ let them come home..." she swallowed "Grace, Mary, Freddie; if you've got away and are lost anywhere in the world, call us and we'll find you: wherever you are. Come home safely darlings, we miss you so much."_

_Then the presenter had cut in with "And that was a stirring plea from Marian Locksley whose three children vanished on this date last month... If you have any information please contact your local police" As she finished and the credits rolled Robin slipped into shot and hugged Marian tightly, letting her cry._

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"That night was the hardest thing I've ever done, the woman didn't make it easier. She knew nothing, yet was so poisonously sweet toned... I couldn't face it again"

"When you go back there my darling it will be with Grace Mary and Freddie clinging to our hands" Robin entered the room behind Guy and threw his wife a supporting smile, dropping down on the sofa next to her.

"We'll all keep searching until their found Marian, don't worry about that" Guy spoke softly and turned to go.

"Guy" Edward's voice carried his 'can I ask a favour' tone "will you go out and speak to the reporters from our top step, tell them what you just said to us?"

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Outside Guy was forced to throw up his arm as a shield from the flashing lights. Questions blared at him like car horns "Mr Gisborne... how are they? Mr Gisborne... why have you just visited?"

"The family are coping. I have assured them and now you that the search parties will not give up until these children are found. Thank you" ignoring everything he pushed straight through the pack of hungry wolves and marched home.

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Night after night on the local news a small section would be devoted to the Locksley children; re-explaining what had happened and who could be suspected. Though he trained himself to ignore most of it, knowing that Robin, Edward or Marian would let him know if anything happened, Guy found it interesting to listen to the viewers comments. Most were on the lines of sympathy but one read;

**"I am sorry for the family, not only to have lost their children but because they are under constant harassment from the press. It is shameful that they cannot even leave the house without being quizzed on the story everyone one knows"**

It came from someone in Lincoln who, Robin later confessed, then received a large bunch of flowers as a thank you for stating exactly what they'd been thinking.

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Three weeks later and nothing had changed. The Locksleys and Edward sat at the kitchen table, listless and failing to eat lunch for the third day in a row. Any of their friend's could now enter easily as Robin had provided them with keys to the side door.

Suddenly the doorbell rang three times!

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**What is going to happen? Sorry, dramatic! I already know**

**Reveiw please**


	5. Home Safely

**Well this is almost the final chapter everyone. enjoy**

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While the worriers had been getting their lunch ready, reporters eating solitary sandwiches were disturbed by cries and yells from up the street. Three children came dashing from that direction with a red faced angry man in pursuit. Just as he caught up with the slowest one: a girl and tallest of the trio the reporters realised who they were watching. It was the missing Locksley children! Camera flashes went mad as everyone with eye room tried to catch a shot.

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The flashes blinded Roger; who was no friend of their family, allowing Grace to pull her wrist free from his filthy grip.

"RUN! Run through them Freddie, they won't let Rodger catch us" Forcing her tired legs to sprint she wove through the crowd of suits and Cameras, glancing to check Mary and Freddie were still keeping up. Her body burning she scrambled the steps and slammed her fist on the doorbell; once long, once medium, once short. As Mother had taught her.

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Edward ran for the door and wrenched it open just in time to catch an exhausted Grace and allow her siblings to avoid a collision by entering. Slamming it shut before anybody could notice the opportunity for questions he stared in disbelief

"Marian, Robin come here!"

His daughter dashed up the hall and screamed in delight "Grace, Mary Freddie my darlings" she fell to her knees and hugged them close.

"What happened to you children?" Robin was stunned

"Roger... he drove up when we walked to school and said that you had asked him to pick us up and take us somewhere as a treat. He showed us this ring as proof of his trustworthiness" Grace reached down and pulled out a ring

"I lost that on the Saturday before you went missing" Marian grimaced as her mind put two and two together

Mary interrupted before her sister could speak "Roger must have stolen it"

"He drove us for miles then stopped at a deserted house. Then he tried to... make me undress in front of him" Edward sucked in his breath at his eldest granddaughter's words

"But I kicked him father, he'll never speak to my sis that way again" Freddie grinned

"Well hopefully he'll never speak to you again _full stop_" Robin's voice was calm and firm

"We kept being moved from place to place in disguise. Then this morning I had the radio on and heard something

_"there is still no resolution to the case of the Locksley's missing children. Grace, Mary and Freddie have been unaccounted for since 20th March"_

I realised that Roger had kidnapped us and stolen your ring. So we grabbed our cardigans, the ones we'd worn that first day, and ran. Somehow we found our way here, like homing pigeons."

"You followed your heart. Robin???" Robin had suddenly turned round and gone to the phone, he spoke quickly and agreed something, then rang the school and told them to meet somewhere.

"Come on you lot, time to meet the media" once Grace was steady on her feet he led the party outside.

Lights were blazing and sirens wailed as Roger was dragged away into a police car. As the Locksleys stepped out all eyes turned to them and, for the second time in an hour, flashes went mad. The family stood together on the step until the reporters tired and created a respectful path through to the street.

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**So the children are home. Just the epiloge to follow, if you want to read it please do**


	6. Epilogue: School Reunion

**Well here is the final finale, where the world finds out what we know**

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"What are we doing here?" Marian stared at the building.

"I said that next time you went on the news you would have the children with you, now I am keeping my promise."

"We're going on TV, We're going on TV" all three children began to chant, leaping up and down.

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"This way Mr Locksley" the assistant guided the family toward the makeshift studio "now children, if you put these on" she handed out three carnival masks.

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"And now Ladies and Gentlemen, boys and girls of Oakwood Primary School and viewers across the country: I am pleased to announce that we have some very special guests joining us; Robin Locksley, his wife Marian, her father Edward Knighton and... three other people, who I don't even know about." The group sat down and prepared for the unveiling "Mr Locksley might I ask why you have made this visit to your children's school. To morn perhaps or plea for more help?"

"No, simply to show the world that hope can triumph. Take your masks off" As Grace Mary and Freddie revealed themselves the school Assembly Hall erupted in noise. The lines of seated children turned into a seething mass of people. At a nod from Robin his Three Homing pigeons dashed toward the throng and became the centre of a joyful reunion.

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Freddie threw his arms around Jake, glad to see his best friend again. Rodger Gutrow had been sentenced to 3 years in prison for kidnap and life could finally return to normal.

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"I am pleased to announce that the Locksley children are no longer MISSING!!! This is the Sara Thornton for Midday news: Oakwood Primary School, the scene of a mass reunion"

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**There we are. The children are home and back with their friends.**

**I hope you enjoyed it as much as I did.**

**Finale Reviews still welcome**

**_AoSB_**


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